Vendor information

Vendors, we would like to invite you to participate in the 4th Annual Sweetgrass Flute & Nature Festival! This event is being held at Prairiewoods in Hiawatha, Iowa on September 28-30, 2017.

Please click on the following tabs to read the information.

Vendor Selection

This is a juried event. Interested artists, craftsmen, and exhibitors must apply and be screened by the festival committee. In order to ensure the highest quality of artists, craftsmen, and exhibitors, we will be limiting the maximum number of display spaces to 24. Six spaces will be allotted to flute makers, and the remaining spaces will be filled with other artists, craftsmen, and exhibitors. This number does not include those performers who are provided with a complimentary booth in appreciation for their performance or food vendors.

This festival features Native American Flute musicians. Although you do not need to be of Native American ancestry, preference will be given to vendors who make or provide products or services that are holistic, music related, or inspired by nature.

Each artist, craftsman, or exhibitor must have their own booth. Requests to share a booth must include a justification for the request and must be approved by the committee. There will be no walk-on artists or merchants permitted.

Due to the size of the festival, we are only able to host six flutemakers each year. These spots are in high demand and are filled by invitation only.

Display Space

Display spaces are 10’ x 10’. You may apply for a maximum of 2 spaces. As space is limited, only 3 double booths are available this year.

You must stay within your designated 10’ x 10’ area unless specific approval is granted by the committee. All canopies and booth displays must present a professional, high quality exhibit and must fit inside the allotted space.

Each vendor must supply their own tents, tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, extension cords, packing materials, backdrops, etc. Limited electricity will be available. We can provide you with information about renting tables, tents, and chairs locally if needed.

Tents must be properly secured at all times. We recommend heavy-duty spiral dog tie stakes and heavy paracord or nylon ratchet straps on all four corners.

Booth locations are assigned by lottery and are final.​

Booth Fees

Each 10’ x 10’ space is $100. Once you have received acceptance as a vendor, you may submit your payment. Flutemaker Vendor Fees are due by April 30th. All other Vendor Fees are due by August 15th.

Lodging & Meal Plan

The Prairiewoods Guest House provides clean, simple rooms for guests who wish to stay on site. Each of the double occupancy rooms has its own sink. A bathroom with shower is shared between two rooms. Availability is limited, so please contact Prairiewoods directly at (319) 395-6700 to make a reservation.

Healthy, fresh cooked meals are available on site as well. You may purchase a meal plan by contacting Prairiewoods at the number above. There will also be food vendors on site during the festival if you don’t choose to purchase the meal plan.​

Vendor Setup

Setup will take place from noon to 4PM on Thursday and from 10AM to 4PM on Friday. You must enter the Prairiewoods main entrance and check in with the vendor team before beginning setup. Someone will direct you to your assigned space.

You will be allowed to drive to your assigned space if possible. The vendor area is fairly small, so please unload as quickly as possible and then move your vehicle to the vendor parking area before setting up your booth. All vehicles must be removed from the vendor area by 4PM on Friday. Booths must be open and ready for business no later than 5PM on Friday.

You are responsible for your own setup and teardown. If you are physically unable to set up and tear down your booth in the allotted time, you must bring someone to assist you.​

Vendor Hours Of Operation

You are expected to be open for business during the following hours:

Friday: 5PM until duskSaturday: 10AM until duskSunday: 11AM until 4PM

You may open for business as early as noon on Friday. No sales of any kind will be allowed before noon on Friday either in the vendor area, in the parking lot, or anywhere else on the Prairiewoods property as it will distract from the activities of the Flute School.

You are encouraged to stay open after dark until the performances end at approximately 9PM on Friday and Saturday nights. However, you must provide your own lighting and extension cord of at least 100’.

No amplified music or loud noises are to be made during headliner performances starting at 7PM on Friday and Saturday nights. Quiet time begins each night at 10PM. All loud noises including music and drumming must cease by this time.

Vendor Teardown

You must remain open for business until 4PM on Sunday. At 4PM, you may begin to break down your booth. No vehicles will be allowed in the vendor area before 4PM. As space is limited, please break down and pack your entire booth before bringing your vehicle to load up.

You must be loaded up and out of the vendor area by 8PM on Sunday. Please make sure your area is free of all trash before you leave.

Again, you are responsible for your own setup and teardown. If you are physically unable to set up and tear down your booth in the allotted time, you must bring someone to assist you.​

Raffle Donations

Each vendor will be requested to donate to our raffle and silent auction. All proceeds are used to support the festival. Sweetgrass is a 501(c)3 organization, and all donations are tax deductible and very appreciated!

Website PromOtion

Please e-mail an image file (logo or photo, .gif, .png., or .jpg are acceptable) that you would like to see with your listing on the festival website’s vendor web page to jon@jonnorrismusic.com. Vendors will also be promoted through social media and other means, where possible.

Indian Arts & Crafts Act

All vendors are required to comply with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, as amended in 2010. The full text of this law is included at the end of this document. The Indian Arts and Crafts Board has instructed us that the 2010 amendment places additional responsibilities on the organizers of events like the Sweetgrass Flute & Nature Festival for ensuring compliance with the Act. Therefore, we must require that each of our vendors specifically comply with the following:

Any vendors representing themselves as Native American must provide proof of enrollment in a federally recognized or state recognized tribe to the committee. Anyone who cannot show proof that they are an enrolled member of either a federally recognized or state recognized tribe, must have on display in their booth a sign that says "Not Native Made". The festival will provide these signs as part of the vendor packet, or the vendors may use their own.

Any vendors who resell items made by others who claim to be Native American must also have proof of the artist/maker’s tribal enrollment. If enrollment confirmation cannot be provided to the committee, you must have on display in your booth a sign that says "Not Native Made". The festival will provide these signs in the vendor packet. Additional signs will be available on request.

Each vendor will be required to confirm their understanding of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 by reading and signing the section of the vendor application referring to this Act.

Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L.101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law that prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or display for sale, or sell any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian Tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization, resident within the United States. For a first time violation of the Act, an individual can face civil or criminal penalties up to a $250,000 fine or a 5-year prison term, or both. If a business violates the Act, it can face civil penalties or can be prosecuted and fined up to $1,000,000.

Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or State recognized Indian Tribe, or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian Tribe.

The law covers all Indian and Indian-style traditional and contemporary arts and crafts produced after 1935. The Act broadly applies to the marketing of arts and crafts by any person in the United States. Some traditional items frequently copied by non-Indians include Indian-style jewelry, pottery, baskets, carved stone fetishes, woven rugs, kachina dolls, and clothing.

All products must be marketed truthfully regarding the Indian heritage and tribal affiliation of the producers, so as not to mislead the consumer. It is illegal to market an art or craft item using the name of a tribe if a member, or certified Indian artisan, of that tribe did not actually create the art or craft item.

For example, products sold using a sign claiming "Indian Jewelry" would be a violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act if the jewelry was produced by someone other than a member, or certified Indian artisan, of an Indian tribe. Products advertised as "Hopi Jewelry" would be in violation of the Act if they were produced by someone who is not a member, or certified Indian artisan, of the Hopi tribe.

To apply

To apply to be a vendor at the Sweetgrass Flute & Nature Festival, please complete the application at the link below. If you are a first time applicant, please send photos of your art or merchandise and a photo of your booth to jon@jonnorrismusic.com for review by the festival committee. If you are a returning applicant, photos are not necessary.

Once the committee has reviewed your application, you will be notified if you have been accepted as a vendor for this year’s festival. At that time, you'll be sent the vendor agreement and payment information.